On Parliament Hill

Last week, Conservatives announced our plan to strengthen credential recognition for newcomers to Canada and advance human rights around the world.

Too often skilled newcomers to Canada are unable to work in their chosen profession. I think, for example, of the skilled veterinarians who come to our community from the Philippines who cannot use their skills to benefit our economy because of a lack of recognition. They are not alone. Canada needs doctors, nurses, and tradespeople and those who have those skills should not be forced to work minimum wage jobs because there is no mechanism in place to recognize those credentials.

We have seen how the Liberal Government has increased the number of immigrants coming to Canada but failed spectacularly to set them up for success. Helping newcomers maximize their success by allowing them to work in their field of knowledge and expertise – or at least providing a path within that field to bring their skills and knowledge up to Canadian standards – just makes sense.

A further issue exits within Canada’s borders. People who are fully certified in a trade in one province cannot work in another because that province won’t recognize their credentials.

That’s why Canada’s Conservatives will launch a Credential Recognition Task Force, to help remove barriers for the skilled professionals we need.

Through our proposed Canada Recovery Plan, Conservatives will also launch eight initiatives to strengthen and advance human rights around the world.

These policies will mark a sharp transition from the Liberal era of cozying up to dictators and tolerating horrific violence against the world’s most vulnerable.

These initiatives will include: revising supply chain legislation to meaningfully enforce Canada’s commitment not to import products made with slave labour, making it a criminal offence for someone to go abroad to participate in or benefit from a serious violation of human rights (such as forced organ harvesting and trafficking), and amending the Official Development Assistance Accountability Act to prevent Canadian development assistance from ever contributing to violence and violations of human rights.

A Conservative government will stand up for fundamental human rights and align itself with the hopes and aspirations of everyday people, wherever they live. Unlike the Liberals – who like to talk big but struggle to move beyond empty symbolic gestures – our detailed policy proposals show Canadians we mean business and we have a real plan to make these ideas a reality.

Conservatives are committed to helping newcomers maximize their success in a way that benefits them and benefits Canada.

We are committed to succeeding where Justin Trudeau and the Liberals have failed, to be a voice for the most vulnerable and a force for good around the globe.

These are just a few examples of the competent, compassionate, common-sense ideas you’ll keep hearing from Canada’s Conservatives: The only choice to secure Canada’s future.